One Stormy Night
by UltraVioletSpectrum
Summary: Roxas gets a little spooked when a thunderstorm unleashes its fury on Castle Oblivion one night, so he goes to Axel's room to sleep with him for security. Other strange events unfold afterwards. AkuRoku, Zemyx, Demrox. R&R, please! Complete for now.
1. Security

There was a storm at Castle Oblivion.

Not just any old storm, either. It seemed to me like a full-blown hurricane by the way the wind was howling and the rain was pounding against the windows. Everyone was pretty freaked out about it, though most of them were too proud to admit it. Little did they know that they'd lose that feeling this night.

It all started with me, Roxas:

I was in my room trying to catch some Z's during that monster of a storm, but, of course, my attempts at sleeping were futile at that junction. I wrapped all my blankets around me for warmth and comfort because I wanted to sleep and it was pretty nippy outside, and I managed to grab the remote control from my bedside table. I pressed the power button, but the TV didn't switch on. _Crap, the power's out_, I thought desolately. _Oh well_. I opened a drawer in the table, pulled out a lighter, and carefully lit the candle next to my bed. It gave off a sweet, sugary aroma as it started to melt. The light was feeble, but at least my room wasn't pitch black anymore.

I closed my eyes and tried to fall back asleep again. It took some doing to ignore the rain lashing against the walls like several hands knocking on a door all at once, but finally I got exhausted and drifted off into sleep.

It didn't take that long. What seemed like seconds later, I was slapped right out of my sleep by a huge clap of thunder that rang in my ears and seemed to vibrate in my guts, followed very briefly after by a flash of thunder that that lit the room up in a flash of concise light. Of course, this scared the ever-loving tar out of me, and I crawled under the covers and shoved my head under the pillow, whimpering and shivering uncontrollably.

The thunder crashed again, and I mistook it this time for gunfire. I curled up into a ball under my bed, trembling like crazy. I was nearly on the verge of tears; that's how flipping scared I was. Maybe it was some dim memory of my somebody's life, but something deep inside my soul (that didn't actually exist, I might add.) had an unreserved and irrevocably hectic fear of thunderstorms.

My stomach roiled as I imagined blood splattering everywhere when another rumble of thunder shook the castle. I finally let some tears out, burying my face in the pillow to stop my sobbing from echoing beyond my room. Finally I allowed myself to calm down, taking deep breaths to steady my pounding heart and to hold back any more sobs that tried to escape my throat. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and curled up into the fetal position, breathing slowly through my nose and out my mouth to subdue my nausea. I suddenly detested how immature I had been just then; it was only a stupid thunderstorm, after all! Nothing to be afraid of!

I uncurled from the fetal position once my stomach had calmed down and sighed. I was exhausted, but I knew I couldn't get back to sleep. Not alone, at least. That gave me an idea, though. I climbed out of bed, opened my door, and made my way down the long white hall to Axel's room.

The hall was awful scary at night, I now realized. Its usual silence turned from nonchalant to sinister once the sun went down, and my muscles suddenly and impulsively tensed up. I felt as though something could jump out at me any moment and tear my guts out my eye sockets. I shook my head and ignored the sick feeling in my stomach that had sparked up again at the thought.

I had finally made it to the door after what seemed like several hours padding down the hall. _VIII_, the door read impassively. I turned the knob slowly and inched the door open, just a crack, and peeked in.

I could see Axel's slender shape sprawled out on the bed, his belly rising and falling slowly as he breathed. He mumbled something incoherent in his sleep, snorted, and rolled over onto his side. _Well, at least he doesn't snore_, I thought to myself as I slowly inched toward the bed, careful not to make too much noise.

I tiptoed to the opposite side of the bed, but my heart sank when I saw that Axel had practically taken up the whole bed. I guess he wasn't willing to share the bed with anyone anytime soon. I didn't feel like sleeping on the floor. It wasn't really worth waking up in the morning with an aching back just to be in the same room with your best friend for security, was it?

I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, wondering how exactly I was going to go about this. I could just stay on the very edge… but then I might be pushed off the edge, and that would hurt. I could just wake Axel up, and tell him I needed some company… but then he might get ticked at me and send me back to my room, and I didn't want to sleep alone.

A clap of thunder resounded through the castle again, and I stiffened at the sound. Axel didn't stir. Wow… he sure was a heavy sleeper. I finally gave up and flopped down on the bed on the right side, getting as comfortable as I could. Axel liked his bed hard, and I liked my bed soft… like, sink-into-the-mattress-to-the-point-of-no-return soft. So of course I wasn't really comfortable in this bed. I, regardless, grabbed as much blanket as I could and snuggled my head into the pillow, feeling much safer knowing that Axel was there.

I saw lightning flash in the room, even through my closed eyes. My eyes snapped open, and I braced myself for what was coming next, gripping the pillow tightly. I still wasn't used to it. Thunder crashed in the distance, and I jumped and let out a shrill squeak, in spite of myself. I quickly clapped my hand over my mouth in realization of what I'd done. _Axel did _not _hear that, Axel did _not _hear that, Axel did _not _hear that…_

But, he did. He snorted and I heard him moan a little in dissatisfaction of being woken up. I heard the sheets shuffle slightly, and I heard Axel say, a little distortedly with fatigue, "Roxas…? What… what're _you_ doing in here this late?"

I turned around to face him. Boy, did _he_ look tired. I felt kind of guilty now for letting out that little involuntary whine, but I still said, "I'm sorry. The storm was keeping me awake and… well, I got a little spooked…" I started blushing, embarrassed by my statement.

Before I could continue, Axel finished my sentence. "And you decided to come into my room to sleep with me, because you're too big of a baby to sleep on your own during a little storm."

I blushed even more and looked down, feeling ashamed and infantile. "Basically, yeah…" I stayed silent for a little before saying, "You don't mind, right?"

Axel's condescending expression softened at these words, and his emerald green eyes gave a mischievous sparkle. "Of course not."

My (nonexistent… geez, I'm turning into Xemnas!) heart lightened at these words, and I gave a small grin. "Thanks."

Axel abruptly pounced onto me, putting me into a headlock. I was a little startled at first, but then the shock turned into glee when Axel gave a gruff, "C'mere, you!", and gave me a brief noogie. I laughed, not caring if it was making me look stupid. At least I wasn't scared anymore, and that's all that mattered.

Soon, we both settled down enough to get back to sleep. I myself was exhausted for about the third time that night, and had no trouble going back to sleep.

But the next thing that happened caught me by surprise.

* * *

CLIFFHANGER!!! -_BUM BUM BUUUUMMMMM_-

...Okay, it was a sucky cliffhanger, but it was still a cliffhanger nonetheless.

Hee, liking the fluff so far? ;P I do, too. More fluff shall ensue in later chapters, so don't worry if you didn't get your daily dosage of it just yet.

Anyways, this idea just came randomly to me just a little while ago, and when inspiration strikes, the idea lingers for eternity and will never go away. So, this spawned out of it. Don't worry, this WILL be a multi-chapter story, not a oneshot, so there will be more of this to come. 8DDDDD

Uh, what else? I had a lot of fun writing this! Roxas is so fun to write for. Something tells me he, like me, has an extensive vocabulary that he never uses except through his writing and short bursts of intelligence, so this is why he might seem a teensy bit OOC. Hopefully not too much!

If this gets no reveiws, I think I will cry.

Many thanks!

~_UltraVioletSpectrum_ (aka Mo)


	2. Midnight Snacking

There was a brisk knocking on the door, and I blinked my tired eyes, still sticky with sleep, open. I yawned as I heard Axel mutter, "What is it?"

"Can I come in?" a somewhat nasally, high-pitched voice said in a slightly panicked tone. Demyx, I immediately recognized the voice.

"Whatever."

The door creaked open, and in stepped, as I thought, the Melodious Nocturne, clad in sky blue pajamas, wearing a lost-puppy-like expression. I guess the thunder scared him, too. He made his way over to the bed, and sat on the edge. I suppressed the urge to giggle as Demyx stuck his thumb in his mouth and started to make ridiculous sucking noises.

"Need to be babysat, too, I guess?" Axel asked sarcastically. I'm guessing he was just grumpy because he'd been rudely awakened twice in one night.

"Mm-hmm," Demyx mumbled through his thumb, nodding slowly.

"Get in, then."

Demyx obliged, snuggling up right next to me happily. I furrowed my brow a bit, getting an uncomfortable little squirming in my tummy. I don't know why I felt ill at ease when Demyx lie down next to me, but I did. I then realized why, my eyes widening in surprise:

I wanted Axel all to myself.

I shook my head and felt my face grow hot, and I knew I was blushing. No _way_. Demyx was my friend, and it's not like he wanted Axel or anything. I squeezed my eyes shut, and I kept telling myself that same thing over and over again; _Demyx is my friend, and Axel is _not _my property. Demyx is my friend, and Axel is _NOT _my property. Demyx is my friend, and Axel is_ NOT _my property._

Demyx apparently didn't want to go to sleep, much to my and Axel's dismay. Rather, the Melodious Nocturne found it like some sort of sleepover, in which we were supposed to chat and lie around telling funny stories.

Okay, not only was that not my cup of tea and not only was I exhausted all over again, but that was what _girls_ did. Ew. I shuddered at the thought.

But Demyx kept on chatting. "Hey, guys, what's your favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"Sea salt," I mumbled tiredly, my eyes closed and not opening any time soon. That was an obvious one.

"Ice cream? Ew." Axel scoffed.

"Ooookay… hmm…oh! What's your favorite topping on pizza?"

"…Mmm. Shut up, already, Demyx."

"Seriously. We're tired."

"Boo. You guys are no fun," Demyx said, pouting. Finally, _finally_, he shut up. Thank God. Now I could finally go to sleep. I yawned and started thinking about random things, hoping that I would start dreaming soon.

Those thoughts went from sunsets, to winter, to… food. Particularly sea salt ice cream. I licked my lips at the thought, and I felt a hunger pang form in the pit of my stomach. This went on for a few minutes, until I actually felt my stomach rumble out of hunger. I opened my eyes, and saw that neither person on my left and right were asleep.

"I'm hungry," I announced.

Demyx shuffled a little bit under the sheets. "Me, too."

Axel moaned his throat. "Too bad. Breakfast isn't until tomorrow."

Tomorrow? That was a long, long time from now. At least that's how it seemed to me. The night and storm seemed to drag on forever, and I hadn't eaten anything since lunch. The thought just made me hungrier, and I turned over, trying to ignore it and get some rest.

I strayed my mind away from food for a few minutes, but I couldn't help it, I was really hungry. My stomach rumbled loudly. Demyx looked at my with one eyebrow cocked.

"Excuse me… sorry," I muttered, blushing as I turned over onto my side and pressing my hands against my stomach. I really needed something to eat, or else I'd keep everyone else up.

I tried not to think about it, I really did, but my stomach growled a second time, louder than before. This time both Axel and Demyx gave me weird looks. "Sorry, guys," I mumbled again, blushing even more and rubbing my stomach.

"Can you seriously _not_ wait for breakfast, Roxas?" Axel grumbled.

I hesitated a little before shaking my head slowly.

"No, he'll starve to death first; his stomach will eat itself if he waits any longer," Demyx teased, giggling at his own joke. My face just got even hotter. That sounded pretty true in and of itself.

"Fine, then… c'mon," Axel muttered tiredly, crawling out of bed. I followed him, and Demyx followed me close behind. Slipping past the door, we made our way into the eerily dark hallway, and I started getting nervous knots along with hunger in my stomach. Demyx grabbed onto my arm, I could feel panicky vibes coming off him. Something deep inside him must have a terrible fear of thunderstorms as well.

I was glad that Axel had this place down by heart (he had it memorized… get it?). We made most of our trek in silence, except for the occasional rumble of my stomach to which I had to politely apologize for. One time we heard a low grumble come from Demyx's stomach, not mine (surprisingly), and he said, "Oops! That was me that time! Sorry, I'm hungry, too."

Finally, after what seemed like hours, we reached the huge kitchen that Castle Oblivion held. And by huge, I really do mean huge. It had pretty much every kitchen appliance and food article known to mankind today in it. _All the more for me to snack on_, I thought, to which my stomach rumbled at the thought, and I had to apologize for.

I opened the freezer and managed to scrounge out a sea salt ice cream. Saliva gushed into my mouth as I unwrapped it hastily. I took a slow lick off the frozen cream, and that was soon followed by me sticking it into my mouth and sucking on it ravenously. "Much better," I mumbled through the popsicle, patting my stomach contentedly.

I looked at Axel. He was practically sleeping on the counter, eyes closed, head resting on his hand to which his shoulder was propped on the countertop. I felt some guilt, but what'chya gonna do? I was starving, and Axel was my best friend, so he kind of had to bring me down here. I'd have to repay him later.

I heard Demyx pawing around in the freezer beside me, and I turned his direction to watch what he would do next. He apparently didn't find what he was looking for in the freezer, so he shut it and opened a cabinet above the counter. He grinned and pulled out a silver bag that had no labels on it or anything. Oh, I knew what those were. He opened the bag, got a big bowl (may I stress the word "_big_".), and dumped what seemed like ten pounds of goldfish crackers into it. I kind of doubted he would eat all of that, but you can never tell with Demyx.

"What are you doing?" I heard a new voice say, one that was not Axel. I turned to see who had suddenly entered the scene, and standing in the doorway was a familiar blue-haired nobody.

"Hi, Zexy!" Demyx burst out loudly, waving erratically. Axel's eyes flew open and he jumped at the sudden noise. "We got kinda hungry, so we came here to get a little midnight snack."

"Ah, I see." He clearly wasn't all that interested.

I had almost forgot there was a storm outside. Any trace of that was gone as thunder rolled ferociously through the castle, making Demyx jump and spill cracker everywhere, me squeak in horror, and Zexion trip over his own feet and fall face-first to the ground. Axel burst out laughing at this, and a blushed at my immature reaction. Demyx's eyes grew large and sparkly (in a sad, lost-puppy way.), and he scrambled onto the floor to pick up everything he'd spilled. Zexion quickly regained his posture, clearing his throat nervously and looking ashamed.

"Oh, thunder scares you, too?" I asked Zexion.

He scoffed. "It does _not_ scare me! It was just… very abrupt."

"Yeah, okay," I said, rolling my eyes and smiling. Zexion glared at me through shaggy periwinkle bangs.

"I got an idea!" Demyx announced after he had dumped all the crackers that had showered onto the floor (now his bowl only looked like it was holding five pounds instead of ten.). I shared a shocked look with Zexion. Demyx, have an idea? That was pretty unusual.

"How about we all crash in my room? That way Axel can sleep in peace."

"Thank God!" Axel exclaimed, hurrying out the room to go back to sleep.

"That sounds fine with me," I told him. I still had someone to crash with, even if it wasn't Axel. We both looked at Zexion expectantly.

He was hesitant, but he finally mumbled, "Okay. Fine. Whatever."

"Yay!" Demyx cried out, grabbing both of us into a stranglehold. "This is going to be so awesome!"

"Oh joy and happy day," Zexion grumbled uncharacteristically, muffled by Demyx's side.

This was going to be one heck of a long night.

* * *

Heeeee, fluffy fluff is fluffily fluffy. 8DDDD Sorry if you're still not satisfied, but I kinda fail at writing romance and fluff. o_o;

This one was SOOOOOO fun to write. I'm really enjoying this story a lot, and hopefully you are, too. Am I the only one who finds it cute when Roxas apologizes when his stomach growls? xDDDD Poor Axel being dragged around by Demy and Roxy. *hugs Axel*

What else?... eventual Zemyx will come up. Probably in the next chapter there will be some Zemyx fluff.

Hope you liked it! Remember to reveiw, and you will be praised in your dreams by the almighty MUFFIN KING! 8DDDD -pan'd-

~_UltraVioletSpectrum_ (aka Mo)


	3. Awkward Shenanigans

I still couldn't get used to the creepy horror-movie feeling of the long, white hall as we walked down it in silence. I can't help it, I know that all those scary movies aren't real, but they sure scare me something awful. It was so quiet in the halls that the sound of our feet padding on the marble floors and the sound of gentle breathing sounded loud, and seemed to echo off the walls. I still felt those panicky, nervous vibes coming off Demyx, and I could see that Zexion, though not giving anything away by his expression, looked a little tense.

Demyx and I both heaved a sigh of relief when we reached his room. The Melodious Nocturne's room was just the way I remembered it being last time: messy, colorful, and purely Demyx. He set the huge bowl of goldfish crackers on the littered coffee table, and flopped down on the bed with an emphasized "Oh!"

I also lie down on the bed, though not as brutally. Zexion turned on the light, made his way over to a recliner in a corner of the room, brushed off all the trash sprawled out on it, and sat down on it, pulling out a huge book he'd been carrying under his arm and reading it.

"Aw, c'mon Zexy!" Demyx whined once he saw Zexion after sitting up. "You're no fun at all!"

Zexion didn't even look up from the page he was on as he replied, "You two can just have fun without me. Just pretend I'm not even here, okay?"

Demyx stuck out his bottom out in a pout. "But… it's no fun without you…"

That caught Zexion's attention. He looked up a little skeptically, and Demyx cocked his head to the side a bit, again giving him that pound-puppy look. I stifled a giggle at how ridiculous this was turning out to be.

"You just said I was no fun at all. Now you're not making any sense."

Demyx didn't respond, still giving Zexion puppy eyes.

The Cloaked Schemer rolled his eyes and shut his book angrily. "Fine. I'll come over there, just stop with the huge eyes, okay?… It makes you look like an owl."

"Yay!" Demyx very suddenly leapt off the bed and pounced on Zexion, pinning him down to the floor. I burst at laughing; this was getting too funny! Oh God… they were in the most awkward position… I just laughed even harder.

Zexion's shocked expression turned to horror, and then to anger. He blushed savagely and growled, "Do realize what position you've put us it in?!"

Obviously not. Demyx just started giggling like a moron. Zexion scoffed and pushed Demyx off. He stood up and sat down on the bed, looking flustered. I gave out a little snort of laughter and he gave me the sharpest pair of daggers I'd ever seen. Demyx was just sitting there rolling on the floor laughing until he finally calmed down and joined us on the bed.

"I'm sorry, but that was just… hilarious!" I laughed. Zexion's nose wrinkled up crossly.

Demyx giggled, but he suddenly winced and clutched his side. "Ow. I think I laughed a little too much. Heh."

"So, what exactly were you planning on doing while we're still here?" Zexion asked, still irritated.

Demyx ignored his tone and answered, "Hmmm… I really don't know. What do _you_ guys wanna do?"

I shrugged in response.

"How 'bout you, Zexy?"

Zexion lay down on his back, arms crossed against his chest and replied sourly, "I don't care. Just so long as it distracts me from this freaking storm."

I turned to the window. Wow. It looked horrible outside. It was pitch black, and rain was lashing against the window so fast it looked like a waterfall. Then, as if on cue, thunder and lightning disturbed the night, sending all of us into a frenzy.

Everything happened at once. Firstly, Demyx flinched, shrieked, and dove under the covers for cover. I, having gotten a little used to it, simply jumped, fell backwards, and landed on top of Demyx, who gave a yelp of surprise and fell off the edge of the bed with an audible "Oof!", pulling the covers with him. Zexion yelled out in horror, jumped at the same time, and got dragged off the edge of the bed by the covers that were wrapped all around Demyx like a straightjacket. I got pulled down by the covers as well, so we all landed in a crumpled heap on top of Demyx and his straightjacket blankets.

Zexion breathed heavily a minute before growling, "Don't… _EVER_… do that again…"

I heard Demyx say something, but it was too muffled by all the covers to comprehend.

"What?"

"Mmmphmmm."

"I can't hear you."

"_Mmmphmmm_."

"Still can't hear you."

"_I said 'I'm sorry'_!" Demyx yelled, now audibly.

"It's okay, I forgive you," I assured him.

"Eeeeeee…" he mumbled incoherently again. My guess was that he was saying "yay".

I rolled off the pile and got up onto the bed again, and Zexion did the same. Demyx emerged from under the covers like a swamp monster emerging from the mud, emphasizing the motion with a very dramatized, "I LIIIIVE!!!"

After he climbed onto the bed, there was a feverish knocking on the door, and we looked at each other in confusion. Who wanted in now?

"Who is it?" Demyx asked.

"It's Saïx. Is that you making all that noise in here?" _Saïx_! The shock on our faces turned to horror. Oh God, what was _he_ going to do?

He wasn't patient enough for our hesitated answer, so he just simply swung the door open, looking very grave. "I asked you a question."

"Uhhhh…" All three of our eyes darted to one another, expecting someone to speak up.

He put his hands on his hips, his upper lip raising up in the beginnings of a snarl. Oh snap. That was _bad_. "Is this some kind of jo— GAAAHH!!!" He screamed as a crash of thunder and lightning boomed throughout the castle yet again, sending him diving under the bed in a frenzy. We all looked over the side of the bed, and couldn't see any trace of Saïx, we could only hear him whimpering like a dog under the bed. Whoop-de-do. Yet another nobody with a fear of thunderstorms.

"Saïx…?" Demyx asked a little nervously.

"It's… it's going to kill us… kill us dead…" Saïx whined.

"It's okay, Saïx, really. It's just the thunder," I tried to assure the Luna Diviner.

"…K-kill us all…"

We all looked up to face each other again. "Any ideas?" Zexion asked, shrugging.

"Poke him with a stick?" Demyx suggested innocently.

"Don't you dare…" Saïx broke out of his terrified whimpering and growled at us.

"You have to come out from there eventually, you know," I told him.

"It's much safer under here. No dangers whatsoever."

"What about the bloodsucking poisonous dust-bunnies? Can't forget those… or the bed pixies. Oh, those things are _evil_…" I admired how Demyx could just make things up as he went along.

Saïx finally emerged from under the bed, a little warily. He looked up at us with his piercing honey-colored eyes and said sternly, "You three together are nothing but trouble. I'll keep watch over you to make sure you don't wreak havoc on the castle."

Crap. I stifled a groan as Saïmade his way over to the recliner that Zexion had sat at previously. This night would just never end, would it?

* * *

And now we bring Saïx into the picture. 8D Fun, fun, fun. Can anyone else imagine Saïx diving under a couch/bed in fear? Because I sure can. Vividly.

Zemyx fluff. Need I say more? ;D

The scene of them all falling off the bed was clearer in my mind... I have trouble writing scenes like that. D': Just imagine it however, it'll be funny either way. xDDD

Those bed pixies really are evil... EVIL, I tell you! Better sleep with one eye open tonight, or they'll unleash there evil pixie power on your backside. 8D

Thanks for reading! Remember that reveiws make me burst with fruit-flavored joy. ^w^

~_UltraVioletSpectrum_ (aka Mo)


	4. Light Show

So Saïx decided he had to keep a close eye on Demyx, Zexion, and I so we didn't blow up Castle Oblivion… or something like that. Who can tell what twisted thoughts are going through that psycho's mind?

Great. Now we were bound to have no fun at all.

Well… maybe not.

Demyx was one of the best when it came to pranking people, Xigbar coming at first… but I won't get started into that. And, boy oh boy, did _he_ have a plan.

Demyx called us all together, and whispered his plan into our ears under the harsh eyes of the Luna Diviner. I smiled and nodded after Demyx had revealed his plan, then turned to Saïx and said, "Hey, Saïx, do you mind going into the kitchen and grabbing me an ice cream? I'm getting kinda hungry again." I wasn't lying, I seriously was getting hungry again. I blame it on osmosis and hormones.

Saïx raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I thought you just ate ten minutes ago."

"I know, but I can't help it."

"No."

Crap. "Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"_Por favor_?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"_Please_?"

"…Fine, then. If you absolutely need it now." Saïx turned and left the room reluctantly. My stomach rumbled at the thought of food, and Zexion looked at me in confusion.

"Seriously?"

I nodded. "Seriously."

"You'll never cease to amaze me, will you?

"Nope. Probably not."

"Okay, okay, okay, come on!" Demyx urged us. Oh, right! The prank. Oh man, this would be sweet.

"Oh, this is so awesome. No, it's beyond awesome. It's BE-awesome!" Demyx was giggling manically, muttering to himself in between laughs. For a minute I questioned the Melodious Nocturne's sanity, but I let it go.

Maybe I should let you in on what Demyx was planning to do. He was planning on taking out his secret stash of firecrackers (yes, he does have one… it was nearing Independence Day, anyways, so there wasn't any reason for him not to have one.) and setting them off in the hallways, and scare everyone in the castle. Fun, yes, but I was considering the cons to this. Saïx would probably go ballistic if we did it in front of him, so we had to make sure we did this quickly. I hoped Mansex was a heavy sleeper, because I sure didn't want to get turned into a Dusk.

Demyx opened his closet door and began pawing around in that mess. I had no idea how he found anything in there. It looked like a hoarder's closet. But eventually he pulled out a colorful box from under piles and piles of junk. He opened it to show us its contents, and I saw about every kind of firework product made in the history of fireworks inside. Fountains, snap dragons, it didn't matter what it was, Demyx had it.

We carried the box out into the hallway, stifling giggles. Once we put the box down right in the middle of the hall, we began to set up shop. Once everything was in its proper place according to Demyx, he took out a box of matches, smiling evilly. He tossed us all a clump of matches and told us to light up whatever the heck we wanted. I obliged, lighting up several fountains and manage to light one rocket before Demyx could get to it, since he was lighting up all the rockets. Zexion wasn't as enthusiastic, but I could see that he was enjoying it, even if he didn't want to admit it. Goodness knows why he didn't want to, maybe he just wanted to look more mature and sophisticated.

We all quickly dashed a few feet behind the firecrackers and waited as they took their time leisurely to explode. I could still hear Demyx giggling like a crazy person, and I finally had to tell him, "Demyx, you sound like you're on drugs."

"I can't help it, I'm just excited," Demyx replied in a high-pitched tone.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I instantly forgot what it was as the first firecracker was set off in a flurry of lights and squeals. And, as if following their leader, the rest of them set off as well, creating one heck of a racket that reminded me of the thunder and lightning outside. I heard a door swing open, and saw Vexen step out of his room, looking furious.

"What the hell do you think you're do—GAAH!—" he ducked as a firework just barley missed his head, and all three of us burst into laugher. "—I suppose you think you're funny—EEK!— Mark my words, you are going to—AAH!— I will definitely— AUGH! UGH!" Vexen was now running around everywhere in attempt to avoid being singed by a firecracker. Demyx was already on the floor, pounding his fist on it and laughing wildly.

The next person to come out of their room and observe the commotion was Marluxia. The Graceful Assassin's naturally messy hair was mussed up even more from sleep, and for a split second he still looked tired. But he was wide awake when a firework flew right past his face, missing him only by an inch.

The remaining members of the Organization followed briefly. I stopped laughing after Larxene got pummeled in the stomach by a firecracker (and Demyx started laughing even harder.). Oh crap. Not _Larxene_. We were all doomed now. I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as each member had its own share of avoiding the fireworks (some failing.). We were in _so_ much trouble.

After all of them had gone out and died away, Demyx was now in tears he was laughing so hard. I stood there, panic-stricken, and Zexion looking scared. I wasn't hungry anymore. In fact, I felt kind of sick.

Marluxia, who was lying on the floor with part of the sleeve on his top singed off, rolled over onto his stomach and sat on his hands and knees. He looked furious. I gulped. "You three… you are in _so_ much trouble…" he growled through gritted teeth.

Very suddenly, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, sending everyone (and yes, I do mean everyone.) into a hysterical panic. Everyone forgot all about the fireworks and ran around in frenzied circled, screaming and flailing their arms everywhere. After a few minutes of hysteria, it all ended in us crashing into one another in a tight, compact circle. Zexion knocked me in the head hard, and I stumbled around, dazed, before collapsing to the floor.

I heard everyone else collapse around me, but I didn't look up or open my eyes. Then I heard shoes clicking on the floor, silence, then Saïx's voice saying "Did I miss something?"

Then I blacked out.

Stupid storm.

* * *

Myeeehhh... somewhat short chapter, but still fun to write!

It's official, this is my first fanfic with over 3 chapters! 8DDDDD And now we bring everyone else into the scene, now it's sure to be even funner.

Is it a little ironic that Demyx has fireworks? Or is that just me? xDDDD

Not much to say about this chapter; just hope you enjoyed it and write some nice reveiws! ^w^

~_UltraVioletSpectrum_ (aka Mo)


	5. Locked Up

I woke up feeling dizzy and faint. I fluttered my eyelashes in attempt to regain focus in my vision. I sighed and closed my eyes, but the moment was short-lived. I was abruptly pulled up into the air by the collar of my shirt by a dainty but strong hand. My eyes snapped open to see Larxene's face right in front of mine, her teeth bared like a wolf and her eyes blazing with rage. Her fist was pulled out behind her, blades protruding from right above her knuckles threateningly.

"You feelin' lucky, punk?" The Savage Nymph growled the famous quote severely. I felt my stomach churn uneasily, and my heart started pounding in my ears. Larxene was _scary_ when she was mad, and she'd probably kick my butt easily if she wanted to. I was too young to fade away!

I gulped and said shakily, "If it's any consolation, this wasn't my idea."

Larxene's expression softened ever-so-slightly. At least she didn't look like an evil wolf anymore. "Oh really? Then whose bright idea was this, huh?" She let go of me, and I dropped to the floor with a _thump_.

I pointed a trembling finger to Demyx, who was sprawled out awkwardly on the floor trying to regain consciousness. I saw sparks fly off of Larxene. She clenched her teeth and fists, and stomped her way over to the Melodious Nocturne, regaining the wolf look again, this time even scarier. Oh man, this was _not_ going to end well. At least I wasn't going to be electrocuted to death just yet.

Demyx sat up, looking woozy for a second, but his eyes widened when he saw the whole Organization surrounding him dangerously. I don't think I'd ever seen everyone so mad like this. Axel (who must have been very irritated after being woken up about a thousand times in one night.) had his chakrams out at the ready, fire blazing behind him in a trail. Marluxia kept most of his anger bottled up, but I could still see he was furious. He drew out his scythe and poised it in front of him, pointing straight at Demyx.

Demyx shrank back, looking small and surprised (not exactly scared). He laughed nervously and stuttered, "H-hey, c'mon guys… it… it was j-just a joke! J-just a light-hearted joke!"

That didn't change a thing. Everyone took a step closer, their weapons drawn out in readiness. Demyx licked his lips nervously and darted his eyes around the room, trying to think quickly. I was wondering what exactly his last words would be.

Then he had an idea. He looked up to the ceiling, then gasped, pointed, and cried, "OH MY GOD, IT'S A WHALE!!!" What weird last words, don't you agree?

But everyone took the bait, surprisingly. With everyone's eyes to the ceiling, Demyx leapt up and dashed away as quickly as he could, and Zexion and I followed right after him.

"Hey! You three come back!!!" I heard Axel's voice yell from what seemed like far away. I heard several pair of footsteps chasing after us, yelling angrily. Now I knew how being chased by an angry mob felt!

We ran aimlessly down the winding white hallways, not caring where we were, just hoping that we could get away from the rest of the Organization. Demyx sounded like he was tiring out fast, his breathing was harsh and high-pitched, but he kept running and was ahead of me and Zexion. Zexion managed to keep his breathing steady and his running fast, so I mostly felt behind.

I was running as fast as I could, and I was almost positive my lungs would burst at any second. My heart rate was probably way too fast, and this didn't help my uneasy stomach at all. But I still didn't stop, because I sure as hell didn't want to die!

Finally Demyx cried out, "Quick! In here!" and shoved us into a closet. He quickly shut the door and kept his ear to it, breathing heavily. I sat on my hands and knees, hanging my head down, gulping in breaths of air as if they were the holiest substance on Earth. Zexion had already collapsed onto his stomach, coughing and sputtering as he tried to catch a breath.

"Where the hell did they go?" I heard Xigbar's voice ring out. I stiffened, and the room's air became tense.

"I don't know. We lost them."

Xigbar swore form the other side of the door, and kicked the door in frustration.

"Oh well, they were just having some fun is all. You need to try and think like a child in this kind of situation." I scoffed quietly at the word "child".

"I… guess…"

There was a short silence except for some scuffling noises. The crowd walked back the way they came, still muttering amongst themselves. I let out a breath of relief and the air lost its uneasy texture. "Whew! That was close."

"Tell me about it," I replied, lying down on my stomach with an exhale of breath.

Demyx turned the knob on the door, but it was stuck. He pulled on it harder, but it still wouldn't budge. He grunted as he gave another failed effort, and I finally got up and said, "Here. Let me try."

I pulled on the knob, but it was extremely stiff. I knew for sure it wasn't rusted over, otherwise how could Demyx have opened the door to let us in? I tugged as hard as I possibly could, but, like at Demyx's attempt, it didn't budge. I summoned Oathkeeper swiftly, and pointed it at the door lock, but nothing happened. I stared incredulously. It didn't work? Impossible! Could someone have…?

I cried out into the hall huskily, "Axel? Are you there?" No answer. I swallowed and tried again. "Axel?"

"Roxas, what are you doing?" Zexion asked worriedly.

"The Keyblade didn't work." Demyx and Zexion stared disbelievingly as well. I pounded my fist on the door and cried out louder, "Xigbar? Vexen? Lexaeus? _Anyone_?!" Still no reply.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I hated it. My heart started pounding again, and my stomach churned as I yelled shakily, "Marluxia, Xigbar, I know it's you! This isn't funny! Let us out!"

Still, even now, no reply. I gave a choked sob, and pounded my fists on the door even more. "Dammit! Let us out! _Let us out_!!!"

Demyx ran up to the door and began pounding on the door shouting, "Let us out!" as well. Zexion joined in after that. After a few minutes, I couldn't pound anymore, so I slumped to the floor and started crying… I hated it so much.

"Dammit," I muttered miserably in between sobs. I knew we didn't have hearts, but it sure seemed like we did then. "Dammit… oh, dammit…. I knew this was a bad idea."

Demyx looked down, and in the darkness, I could see a single tear fall from his face. "Sorry, guys…. This is my fault. I should have never dragged you guys into that…" Another tear, and he also gave out a choked sob. "God, I feel like such a jerk." He buried his face in his hands and let out a few shaky, muffled cries.

I got up and put my arm around his shoulder, to which he looked at me with sparkling sea-green eyes. "Hey, I forgive you. You're no jerk to me."

He smiled. "Oh, thanks, Roxy." He wrapped both his arms around me and near suffocated me in his embrace.

Zexion still hadn't said a word since we had given up on trying to yell through the door. We both turned to him and saw him sitting in a corner, looking completely oblivious to everything around him.

"Zexion…? You okay?"

He turned his head very slightly to look at me briefly, then turned his head back to the ground. "I have no idea why the hell I decided to step into that kitchen… but, I did."

"What? Are you regretting hanging out with us?"

He looked at us from the corner of his eye and gave a slight smile. "Nope. That's just it, I don't. Am I crazy?"

"Probably."

We all gave half-hearted laughs at that. Demyx suddenly unlocked me from his embrace, and started feeling around the stone walls, slapping at the stones and rubbing his hands in circles on the wall.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for a secret passage. There's _always_ a secret passage. It never fails."

I clapped my hand onto my forehead in irritation. "Demyx, this isn't a movie. There's no 'secret passage' anywhere. Someone will have to unlock that door eventually…" I trailed off as my hand pressed on a stone. It caved in, and suddenly a door opened in a flash of light, revealing a long, dark stairway. I stared in awe.

"I'm sorry, you were saying?" Demyx asked me with a smug grin across his face.

I rolled my eyes and gave him a halfhearted glare. "Well, technically, it's a secret staircase."

* * *

And our cute little story takes a dark turn. I love writing dark stories, can you tell? -evil grin-

lol. The "secret passage" thing I based off the movie Igor. It was my favorite part, and it fit the mood. No, I didn't copy it word-for-word. So I didn't steal it.

Uh... what else? Did I tell you before I like making my favorite character suffer and I love to make them miserable? Hence, the reason I have a bonding scene between the trio. :3 I thought it was cute.

Okay, this time if you reveiw you get a bagel with cream cheese? Satisfied now, mmhmm? xDDD j/k!

~_UltraVioletSpectrum_ (aka Mo)


	6. The End of the Stairs

The staircase we'd stumbled upon had the same creepy feeling as the hallways by our rooms, except this feeling was more intense and real. Demyx kept his grip on my arm tight, and didn't plan on loosening it any time soon. Zexion looked more on-edge than he had the whole night, apparently comfortable with letting most of his fear show now. I, for some weird reason, didn't feel that scared. I was strangely calm. Why, I don't know.

It was almost pitch black inside the tunnel, so I had no idea if I'd be going up stairs or running into a wall with the next step I took. I didn't bother to start up a conversation in the dead silence. What was the point? If you were in a situation like I was in, you wouldn't have felt like talking, either.

Anyways, the stairwell seemed to go on forever, twisting and turning and… just not ending. The musty air tasted stale and felt like dust in my lungs, which didn't really help with my breathing that I was supposed to keep steady. Eventually I had to convince Demyx to make us stop and rest, because I was very worn out after several minutes that seemed like hours of going up the stairs.

I sat down on a step, leaning against the wall and sighing tiredly. My feet hurt. I rubbed my palms against my foot soles in pain, and could feel that they were a little callused. _Well, crap_, I thought a little irritably. I sighed again, closing my eyes. I felt so tired now. We couldn't go back the way we came, and I had no idea how long we'd be going up this thing for. If it came to it, we'd have to sleep in here. The thought filled me with dread.

Demyx must have heard my thoughts, because he said, "There's no way I'll be able to sleep in here… even if we had to." As if on cue, he yawned widely and stretched his arms up to the ceiling. I resisted the urge to do the same thing, and ended up yawning into my palm.

I drew my legs up to my chest and rested my chin on my knees, arms wrapped around my legs tightly. Hopefully we'd get out of here soon. I still couldn't believe this was all caused by a near harmless thunderstorm, chain reactions from me getting scared of a little lightning and thunder.

This thought hit me like a slap in the face. It was _my_ fault. _My_ fault that we were in this mess. I stared blankly at the black floor. God, I was such a _baby_! I should have just gotten over it and just went to sleep… I should have at least tried to be brave. Unfortunately, we weren't playing "should've"s.

Demyx broke me out of my train of though as he jiggled my shoulder frantically, hissing out, "Roxas! Roxas! Roxas!"

"Huh?" I looked at him.

"Do you hear that?" Demyx queried in a whisper, eyes darting around the hall nervously.

"Oh, stop trying to scare us, Dem."

"No, I'm serious! I hear, like, footsteps, or something!" Zexion exhaled out the side of his mouth, blowing a strand of long bangs out of his eye momentarily, and rolled his eyes while shaking his head. I was still doubtful, too, for a second. But then, I heard a scuffling sound from somewhere in the hall, and my stomach did a back flip. Demyx wasn't lying… not that he ever really did, but I digress.

"Woah…" I barley breathed.

"Come on, Demyx, you can't fool me. You know I'm not that dumb." Zexion insisted.

I shook my head, looking at Zexion with wide eyes. "Zexion… he's not kidding."

That got Zexion's attention… he could see Demyx lying, but not me… that didn't necessarily make sense, but Zexion's his own person. His eyes darted around nervously, widening with fear.

We heard it again. Scuffling footsteps that echoed off the walls. I didn't dare to breathe, and Demyx barley managed to stifle a whimper. Zexion jumped a little, but made no other movement when he heard the noise.

It was soon after that, I saw a tall figure, barley discernable against the near pitch-blackness, walk up the steps from the way we came. I shrank into the shadows as far as I could, hoping whoever— or whatever— it was couldn't see me against the wall.

Demyx didn't hesitate to make a reaction. He screamed, grabbed both Zexion and I by our arms hastily, and ran as fast as he could up the stairs as though his very life depended on it. Hey, for all I knew, that might have been the case.

I didn't complain as Demyx dragged Zexion and I up the seemingly endless flights of stairs. Mostly because I was scared as hell and I didn't want my very nonexistence to be threatened, but because I didn't exactly have a choice.

I was flooded over with relief when we finally, _finally_, reached a door at the end of the stairs. Demyx came to an abrupt halt in front of it, making Zexion and I slam into the wall audibly. Demyx hastily apologized, and turned the knob. But, whoop-de-do, it didn't open.

Demyx gave out an indignant squeak, and pulled on it more. He gave a more insistent squeak and jiggled the doorknob fiercely, but still, nothing. Demyx wailed and kept pulling and rattling the knob, grunting and squeaking the whole time. This would have been comical if our lives weren't in danger.

Finally I pushed Demyx aside and summoned up Oblivion and Oathkeeper. I instinctively slashed at the door, hammering into the wood as hard as I could. I kept doing this until I hit it with such force that the door finally collapsed onto itself.

"Quick thinking!" Zexion congratulated me hastily before Demyx took a fierce grip onto us again and pulled us into the room beyond the door.

It was, as most of the rooms were here in Castle Oblivion, stark white, with not much decorations. It did, though, contain a desk, a few chairs, a closet, and a third door that led to presumably another hallway. I tried to remember what room this was, but it didn't click right away.

Demyx gave out a small whimper as we heard the footsteps from the staircase coming closer to the room. His eyes flew around the room, frantically thinking of a place to hide. I looked around as well, as did Zexion, and we were all panicking.

"In here!" Demyx suddenly cried, pulling us into the closet whose door was thankfully left open. I didn't want to tear down a door with my Keyblades again. We put our backs to the wall, breathing heavily. My hands were trembling, I noticed, and I clenched them into fists to make them stop.

We all held our breaths as we heard the footsteps enter the room, slowly and in an excruciatingly cavalier manner. I gulped as we saw the tall figure pace past the closet door, very, very slowly. It was almost agonizing to watch.

All too suddenly, a low grumble came from Demyx's stomach. Zexion and I stared at him, eyebrows raised. Demyx stiffened and bit his lip. Even in the poor light situation, I could see his face flush a dark shade of pink. We heard the footsteps outside stop.

Demyx's stomach rumbled again, a bit louder this time. Demyx clutched at his belly, sighing with chagrin and embarrassment. He mouthed the words, "I didn't eat anything tonight." No wonder. The trek up the stairs would have made me hungry if my stomach wasn't tying in knots. The footsteps made their way back to the door of the closet it had passed earlier, and I saw a tall shadow approach the door.

Again, a low rumbling sound came from Demyx's belly, making him cringe and clutch at it with both his hands this time. I bit my lip with anxiety, hoping the mysterious tall figure wouldn't decide to open the door. Fortunately, Demyx's stomach managed to shut up, and the figure decided it was just hearing things and walked away. I heaved a sigh of relief… very quietly, I might add.

"Thank you," Demyx whispered quietly to himself.

But, this moment of reprieve was short-lived. Demyx's stomach still wasn't done talking just yet. It broke from rumbling, and went into a full-scale growl, making him double over and hug himself in attempt to stifle it. I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my bottom lip, ready to be ripped to shreds.

I still wasn't ready, apparently, because I jumped when the closet door was torn off its hinges very abruptly. Demyx squeaked in surprise, and hid behind Zexion, who jumped as well. We all gawked stupidly at the figure that stood in front of us.

As it pulled off its hood, rose petals went flying. That alone should tell you who it was. If you still don't know, I might as well tell you: Marluxia was our stalker here. His blue eyes sparked with evil intentions. Oh, crap. When you see evil intentions in Marly's eyes, you know it won't end very well. Most likely, it will end quietly, quickly, and with a floral aroma still in the air at the scene of the crime.

"Oh, how I've longed for this," Marluxia hissed, drawing out his scythe and swinging it behind his back, as if he were a golfer ready to hit the ball. I helplessly flattened myself against the wall, writing out my will mentally.

This time Zexion was the one to save our skins. He decided to use his manipulation ability on Marluxia, cloning himself so that he saw standing all around the room. Marluxia's eyes widened, and he turned to one away from the closet and took a swing at it. It dissolved as soon as the scythe's blade hit it, making the Graceful Assassin growl in his throat indignantly. I let out my breath that I'd held in for so long in relief. That would keep him busy for a while.

Demyx, as usual, took Zexion and I by the arms and pulled us out of the room, using the door that wasn't where we came from. I expected it to stay closed, but it surprisingly opened with no hassle. Demyx took advantage of this and sprinted down the hallway, dragging us all the while.

I didn't completely recognize this hall, but then again, most of the halls looked the same. Demyx kept on pulling us down numerous halls until we approached the hall where everyone's rooms were held. He dragged us into his room, yet again, and we all collapsed onto his bed in exhaustion.

I checked the clock sitting on the bedside table. _3:12 a.m,_ it read in its digital face numbers. Wow. How long had we been awake for? Hours. The though just made me even more tired, and I failed at an attempt to stifle a huge yawn.

I could still hear hunger rumbling in Demyx's stomach. Well, I couldn't blame him… as I've said before, if knots of anxiety weren't tying themselves in my stomach, I would have been hungry as well. Demyx subsided to that bowl of goldfish crackers he had poured what seemed like days ago, but was really only an hour or two ago. Zexion gratefully took a few, but when Demyx offered me some, I declined. True, I did feel a little empty, but I couldn't imagine being to swallow anything.

Eating aside, I felt a little… agitated, for some unnamable reason. Maybe I was just tired, or I was still shaken by Marluxia following us. Maybe it was a combination of everything I'd endured that night. Whatever it was, I felt like I was… I don't know. Scared? Not exactly the right word, but close enough.

I didn't hear any wind howling outside, or rain clattering on the windows. I looked at Demyx's window, and was surprised to see there wasn't a waterfall of rain cascading down it. I heard some dripping, yes, but not rain. I felt as though a huge weight had been taken off my shoulders, and I furtively grinned. Thank goodness the storm was finally over.

"I think I'll go back to my room, okay?" I told Demyx and Zexion.

"Aww, how come?" Demyx whined through a mouthful of goldfish.

"I think I'm going to be able to sleep alone now," I replied, gesturing to the window. Demyx looked, and he sighed in relief.

"It's about time!" he mumbled.

"Well, goodnight, I guess," I said as I left the room, and walked back into the hall. It didn't look as scary anymore, but that was probably because I felt better than I had all night.

I curled up into my blankets, they were much softer than I remembered them. My eyelids felt heavy as I lay my head down on the pillow, which my head seemed to sink into. I felt any trace of anxiety and fear drain from my body as I closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to enfold me. The knots in my stomach untied themselves, and my stomach muscles relaxed, along with every other muscle in my body. Finally sleep took me in, and I instantly forgot the night as my mind whipped into dreams. And this time, there was nothing to interrupt it. No thunder, lightning, or rain.

And this all happened one stormy night.

* * *

**THE END**. -throws confetti-

I DEEPLY apologize for keeping you guys waiting... I got too caught up in my other stories, and I couldn't get a good plot all figured out! D: But, I managed to find one in the bowels deep inside my peanut-sized brain, and this spawned from it. Hopefully I haven't lost any of my readers from this long wait. :(

Hopefully there will be an Epilogue if I'm feeling up for it... or is this okay as it is? I was thinking that they couldn't have gotten away with the fireworks with no punishment from Mansex... and Marluxia got owned by those guys, and he WAS, in fact, sent by Mansex to hunt them down... so, yeah.... -smiles evilly- They'll most likeley get poked around by the Organization, and have to do sucky jobs as their punishment. _mwahahaha_...

Thanks for reading, and remember to reveiw! This time, your prize for reveiwing will be a FREE TRIP TO CANDY MOUNTAIN. Oh, yeah, and everything listed in the previous chapters. That means muffin king, fruit-flavored joy (probably mango flavored... or nectarine flavored. -drools-), and a bagel with cream cheese.

Thank you!

~_UltraVioletSpecturm_ (aka Mo)


End file.
